Baruch student cites WBMB as source of inspiration for EP The EDM Funeral

Victor Balzano, known by other students on the Baruch College campus as Lord Victor, released the first track from his electronic dance music EP, The EDM Funeral. Consisting of three separate pieces, “Death,” “Resurrection” and “Ascension,” the EP is a culmination of the student’s early work in music production.

After polishing his skills at WBMB Baruch College Radio for well over a year, the sophomore Zicklin student is ready to
be heard.

His initial track, “Death,” is a gothic dance with a sound that borders between orchestral and analog. The song has an original sound and a unique meaning to the author as well.

The EDM Funeral is a representation of how Lord Victor’s music style has changed. Since immigrating to the country as a young teen, both his taste and technique have developed. At first, he found himself moving to a cultural climate dominated by hip-hop and rock music. His newest track is a mastery of the concepts that initially attracted him to music at a
young age.

After six years of practice, Lord Victor feels like he has produced music that will truly catch the attention of others. The EP’s release marks a major step in the development of his career.

His music has a distinctly European sound to it. Daft-Punk, in particular, has been attributed as a major influence to the artist’s recent work. “Death,” as a track, is a memorialization of Lord Victor’s passion for EDM.

As an artist, in order to move forward, Lord Victor is embracing his electronic roots so that he can move onto other genres. Describing The EDM Funeral as “more of an art piece than a musical project,” he suggests that the track’s message is not necessarily as important as how the track conveys his artistic ability.

Lord Victor started his musical journey as a guitarist in Paris. Aside from playing live shows at weddings, he taught guitar lessons at a studio in Versailles.

As a genre of music, EDM is not nearly as popular in the United States as it is in France. While not central to his identity as an artist, EDM has influenced his sound. He said “The goal was to make something that was radio quality,” something professional.

Since a young age, he has always felt that dedication is the key to being a successful musician. He explains how he has long believed his strong work ethic would carry his musical career past those of his peers and mentors. Along his musical path, he developed a taste for EDM that has extended beyond his home country and high
school years.

Lord Victor attributes WBMB as being a major source in creating “Death.” He describes the radio station as his “favorite place to go in between classes while at Baruch,” mentioning that at any time he could “show up to the station and feed off of its creative atmosphere.” Lord Victor describes the production studio at Baruch as a place where people are always helping each other out with their projects, whether it is “fixing mistakes or teaching people new software tricks.” For Lord Victor, WBMB provides the opportunity to experiment as an artist and channel his creative technique.

“Death” is Lord Victor’s personal homage to the genre of music that inspired his career and forever influenced his sound. The song’s high-tempo beat and pulsating melodies give it a modern sound. Each layer of the song is composed of multiple, different electronic instruments rendered in the editing program Ableton Live.

The complex and subtle variations in tone and pitch work in unison with the song’s electric core to elicit the feeling of falling into an endless pit. The dark beat is dramatic and morose. It leaves ample space for orchestral elements, rendered in a separate program,
Omnisphere.

The most striking element of the song is its gothic piano. Unbound to the heavy beat, the piano flutters weightlessly up and down in tone as the song progresses. It is classy yet playful, attracting the listener’s attention throughout much of the song. The song ends with a dramatic guitar solo sampled by a former Baruch student as well.

Lord Victor’s “Death” is a complex track, evident down to the individual ways in which riffs that split from the same penultimate guitar solo are stylized and
mastered.

As part of a semester-long release process, Lord Victor plans on releasing a new track from the EP every month, publishing them on his SoundCloud account. “Death” precedes “Resurrection,” and while Lord Victor released a track this month focused on the past, next month, Lord Victor plans on releasing a song that focuses on the future.